Worth Killing For: A DI Fenchurch Novel, Book 2

On a busy London street, a young woman is attacked in broad daylight and left bleeding to death on the pavement. Among the eyewitnesses are DI Simon Fenchurch and his wife. Fenchurch pursues the attacker through a warren of backstreets and eventually arrests a young hoodie with a cache of stolen phones - an 'Apple picker' on the make. The case should be closed but something feels off...Was this really just about a smartphone?

The Hope That Kills: A DI Fenchurch Novel, Book 1

The body of a young woman is found on the streets of East London, in the shadow of the City's gleaming towers. No ID on her, just hard-earned cash. But there is no doubting the ferocity of the attack. DI Simon Fenchurch takes charge but, as his team tries to identify her and piece together her murder, they're faced with cruel indifference at every turn - nobody cares about yet another dead prostitute.

Dark Water: Detective Erika Foster, Book 3

When Detective Erika Foster receives a tip-off that key evidence for a major narcotics case was stashed in a disused quarry on the outskirts of London, she orders for it to be searched. From the thick sludge the drugs are recovered, but so is the skeleton of a young child. The remains are quickly identified as seven-year-old Jessica Collins. The missing girl who made headline news 26 years ago.

tmitch says:"i really love this series!! i have listened to all three books. i hope there is another one soon."

No Name Lane

The hunt for a serial killer unearths an unsolved cold case from over 60 years ago. Young girls are being abducted and murdered in the Northeast. Out of favour detective constable Ian Bradshaw struggles to find any leads - and fears that the only thing this investigation will unravel is himself. Journalist Tom Carney is suspended by his London tabloid and returns to his home village in County Durham. Helen Norton is the reporter who replaced Tom on the local newspaper. Together they are drawn into a case that will change their lives forever.

Blood Lines: Detective Kim Stone Crime Thriller Series, Book 5

A victim killed with a single, precise stab to the heart appears at first glance to be a robbery gone wrong. A caring, upstanding social worker lost to a senseless act of violence. But for Detective Kim Stone, something doesn't add up. When a local drug addict is found murdered with an identical wound, Kim knows instinctively that she is dealing with the same killer. But with nothing to link the two victims except the cold, calculated nature of their death, this could be her most difficult case yet.

Behind Dead Eyes

A corpse is found, its identity extinguished in the most shocking manner imaginable. Detective Ian Bradshaw can't catch the killer if no one can ID the victim. Out there, somewhere, a missing young woman may hold the answers. Journalist Helen Norton is about to uncover a massive criminal conspiracy. She just needs the final piece of the puzzle. Soon she will learn the price of the truth.

Friday on My Mind: A Frieda Klein Mystery

A bloated corpse turns up in the Thames, throat slashed, and the only clue is a hospital wristband reading "Dr. F. Klein". Frieda is taken to see the body and realizes with horror that it is Sandy, her ex-boyfriend. She's certain that the killer is Dean Reeve - the man who has never stopped haunting her. But the police think he has been dead for years, and Frieda is their number one suspect. With few options, Frieda goes on the run to save herself and try to uncover the truth.

Glasgow Kiss: DSI Lorimer, Book 6

Eric Chalmers is one of the most popular teachers at Muirpark Secondary School in Glasgow. Gentle and kind, he is the person the students come to when they want to confide in someone. So when precocious teenager Julie Donaldson accuses Chalmers of rape, the school goes into shock. How could a deeply religious family man like Chalmers do anything like that? With some students and teachers supporting Julie and others standing by Chalmers, life at Muirpark is far from harmonious. And then things get much worse.

Holy Island: The DCI Ryan Mysteries, Book 1

Detective Chief Inspector Ryan retreats to Holy Island seeking sanctuary when he is forced to take sabbatical leave from his duties as a homicide detective. A few days before Christmas, his peace is shattered, and he is thrust back into the murky world of murder when a young woman is found dead amongst the ancient ruins of the nearby priory. When former local girl Dr. Anna Taylor arrives back on the island as a police consultant, old memories swim to the surface, making her confront her difficult past.

Cut to the Bone

Ruby is a vlogger, a rising star of YouTube and a heroine to millions of teenage girls. And she's missing.... But she's an adult - nothing to worry about, surely. Until the video's uploaded...Ruby, in the dirt, pleading for her life. Enter Detective Inspector Kate Riley: the Met's rising star and the head of a new team of investigators with the best resources money can buy. Among them Detective Sergeant Zain Harris, the poster boy for multiracial policing. But can Kate wholly trust him? And, more importantly, can she trust herself around him?

Dead Wrong: Calladine & Bayliss, Book 1

First a shooting, then a grisly discovery on the common.... Police partners, D.I. Calladine and D.S. Ruth Bayliss race against time to track down a killer before the whole area erupts in violence. Their boss thinks it's all down to drug lord Ray Fallon, but Calladine's instincts say something far nastier is happening on the Hobfield housing estate. Can this duo track down the murderer before anyone else dies and before the press publicise the gruesome crimes?

The Hanging Club

A band of vigilante executioners roam London's hot summer nights, abducting evil men and hanging them. Sentenced to death is the gang member who abused vulnerable girls, the wealthy drunk driver who mowed down a child and the hate preacher calling for the murder of British troops. As the bodies pile up and riots explode all over the sweltering city, DC Max Wolfe embarks on his most dangerous investigation yet: hunting a gang of killers whom many believe to be heroes....

The Ice Princess

Returning to her hometown after the funeral of her parents, writer Erica Falck finds a community on the brink of tragedy. The death of her childhood friend, Alex, is just the beginning. Her wrists slashed, her body frozen in an ice cold bath, it seems that she has taken her own life. Erica conceives a memoir about the beautiful but remote Alex, one that will answer questions about their lost friendship. While her interest grows to an obsession, local detective Patrik Hedstrom is following his own suspicions about the case.

Hide and Seek: DI Helen Grace 6

Helen awaits trial in a crumbling women's prison in Southampton. She has a fight on to prove her innocence from inside her prison cell, but this soon turns out to be the least of her worries. A serial killer is picking off fellow inmates, thriving in an environment where there is truly nowhere to run. Is it a criminal giving in to their dark urges or a member of the prison staff preying on the captive population? Helen must work fast to reveal this devious killer, all the time wondering if she will be next on her list....

The Blissfully Dead

When the body of a teenage girl is found in a London hotel, DI Patrick Lennon is mystified. Nobody saw her or her killer enter the hotel, and there is no apparent motive - until a second teenager is found and Lennon realises somebody is targeting fans of the world's biggest boy band.

Missing, Presumed: A Novel

At 39, Manon Bradshaw is a devoted and respected member of the Cambridgeshire police force, and though she loves her job, what she longs for is a personal life. Single and distant from her family, she wants a husband and children of her own. One night, after yet another disastrous Internet date, she turns on her police radio to help herself fall asleep - and receives an alert that sends her to a puzzling crime scene.

The Last Detective: An Inspector Peter Diamond Investigation

Detective Superintendent Peter Diamond is the last detective: a genuine gumshoe, committed to door-stopping and deduction rather than fancy computer gadgetry. So when the naked body of a woman is found floating in the weeds in a lake near Bath with no one willing to identify her, no marks, and no murder weapon, his sleuthing abilities are tested to the limit.

Stalkers

Time's up. You're Next. "All he had to do was name the woman he wanted. It was that easy. They would do all the hard work. "Detective Sergeant Mark 'Heck' Heckenburg is investigating the disappearance of 38 different women. Each one was happy and successful until they vanished without a trace. Desperate to find her missing sister, Lauren Wraxford seeks out Heck's help.

Silent Scream: Detective Kim Stone Crime Thriller, Book 1

Five figures gather 'round a shallow grave. They had all taken turns to dig. An adult-sized hole would have taken longer. An innocent life had been taken, but the pact had been made. Their secrets would be buried, bound in blood. Years later a headmistress is found brutally strangled, the first in a spate of gruesome murders that shock the Black Country.

Still Life: Chief Inspector Gamache, Book 1

Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Surêté du Québec and his team of investigators are called in to the scene of a suspicious death in a rural village south of Montreal. Jane Neal, a local fixture in the tiny hamlet of Three Pines, just north of the U.S. border, has been found dead in the woods. The locals are certain it’s a tragic hunting accident and nothing more, but Gamache smells something foul in these remote woods, and is soon certain that Jane Neal died at the hands of someone much more sinister than a careless bowhunter.

A Great Reckoning: A Novel

When an intricate old map is found stuffed into the walls of the bistro in Three Pines, it at first seems no more than a curiosity. But the closer the villagers look, the stranger it becomes. Given to Armand Gamache as a gift the first day of his new job, the map eventually leads him to shattering secrets. To an old friend and older adversary. It leads the former Chief of Homicide for the Sûreté du Québec to places even he is afraid to go. But must. And there he finds four young cadets in the Sûreté academy, and a dead professor. And, with the body, a copy of the old, odd map.

Payment in Blood

The producer of a troubled play invites the cast to spend the weekend in his remote Scottish Highlands estate to hash out the problems. When the housemaid finds the playwright murdered in bed, Thomas Lynley and his partner must unmask the villain.

Raven Black: Book One of the Shetland Island Quartet

It is a cold January morning, and Shetland lies beneath a deep layer of snow. Trudging home, Fran Hunter's eye is drawn to a splash of color on the frozen ground, ravens circling above. It is the strangled body of her teenage neighbor, Catherine Ross. The locals on the quiet island stubbornly focus their gaze on one man - loner and simpleton Magnus Tait.

The Lost Boy: The Fjällbacka Series, Book 7

Mats Sverin was Fjällbacka's financial director on a regeneration project worth millions. When he's found dead, detective Patrik Hedström must find answers. It seems Mats was a man who everybody liked yet nobody really knew - a man with something to hide. Is it just a coincidence that his high school sweetheart, Nathalie, has returned to the area? Does she know who Mats really was?

Publisher's Summary

DC Gary Goodhew is intelligent, intuitive, and the youngest detective at Cambridge's Parkside Station. He is the first on the scene when the body of a young woman is discovered on Midsummer Common and for the first time in his career is given the chance to work on a murder investigation.

Soon there is an identity for the victim: Lorna Spence. Richard Moran, her boyfriend and employer, has reported her missing and is distraught to discover that she has been killed. He claims she was loved by his staff and his sisters, reserved Alice and vulnerable Jackie. He says she had no enemies but it isn't long before Goodhew discovers plenty, including her high maintenance colleague Victoria and Goodhew's reckless former classmate Bryn. They both swear that they have nothing to do with Lorna's death but Goodhew knows someone is lying.

Then there is another brutal murder and Goodhew knows it is time to use his own initiative to flush out the killer, even though it means risking his job and discovering the truth about the one person he hopes will be innocent.

I am a voracious reader (average about 4-5 Audible books a week, in addition to those I "eyeball".) I have been hooked on recorded books since the time of cassettes/CDs and was thrilled when I became an Audible member in 2007. I find reader reviews good guides to spending my credits, so have finally decided to write a few (although, I would rather be reading!)

Excellent police procedural set in Cambridge, UK featuring 25-year old DC Gary Goodhew, a new detective, who is viewed with mistrust and envy due to his quick rise to the DC role.

The book follows the stories of suspects, victims and police, showing the varying point of views (POVs) as we seek to unravel this complex mystery.

DC Gary Goodhew is a bit of a maverick at the station, following his own methodologies and uncanny hunches, much to the chagrin of his boss, DI Marks who is determined to make Goodhew a team player or let him go.

I loved the writing, especially how well all of the characters were fleshed out and the intricate relationships between the families and the co-workers.

Jonathan Broadbent did an excellent job with the narration, although his pacing can be a bit "off-putting" at first.

This is the first in what will become a series, featuring DC Gary Goodhew. In this book, we are introduced to the characters who will move through others, such as Marks--the boss who cannot understand Goodhew's unconventional way of moving through a case, and is almost ready to fire him before he realizes that he actually does have the talent to put clues together. Also, there is the unpleasant detective Kincaid, a colleague who is less than likable. There is Mel, another colleague who plays the saxophone, but Goodhew's favorite woman is: his grandmother, who is also his best support.

This book involves the need to sort out a mystery spanning some years, that leaves the reader considering various of the key people at different points, and comes to its climax with Goodhew acting according to what he thinks he has to do, even if it costs him his job. Almost too late, Marks realizes he has a talented officer, and supports him in solving the crimes.

Alison Bruce is an excellent writer. Not only does she offer a very intriguing mystery, but she has a gift for presenting the details of a situation providing the building tension that brings the reader directly into the moment and keeps the story from being simply a series of scenes offering clues. Also, she has the ability to let the story move back and forth in time, as it plays itself out. She develops this style in future books as well. Recommend!

I love reading books about my home town and Alison Bruce does a good job with Cambridge (to be listening to the book whilst, coincidentally, walking the same street was a tad surreal though!). I'm not sure that Goodhew's behaviour would get the same response in a real life police force but, hey it is fiction. I do have issues with the narrator though - he sounds young and Goodhewish to be sure but he mispronounces local names which really bugs me and I find myself wanting to yell at him when he does so - not a good look when you are walking in town! I will follow the series though, I enjoy the context.

I realize I might be owning up to the decline of my gray matter when I say, I did not get this. Who's speaking? That's very hard to keep track of. The characters are extreme: the treacherous sister, the jealous brother, the victim with a big secret, the other victim who had a dog and managed to get away, although I gather she goes down later.

I managed to keep listening, backing up several times to replay chapters that lost me the first time, until the cop hero appeared. Is that early on? I'm hours into this story, and I'm lost. Is drooling next for me, or is this story a mess?

Maybe if I'm desperate to listen to something, anything, I'll come back to this, but I'm thinking of asking for a refund.

Better narration - all emphasis in this reading on wrong words - irritating and irrational.

Would you ever listen to anything by Alison Bruce again?

Not with this reader

How did the narrator detract from the book?

See above: ruined story with consistently incorrect emphasis thus breaking any flow in meaning

You didn’t love this book--but did it have any redeeming qualities?

not really - it was so hard to get past the distracting reading.

6 of 6 people found this review helpful

R. J. Gladden

Liverpool, UK

2/19/14

Overall

Performance

Story

"Hard going to start with"

I aborted my first attempt at listening to this book as I struggled to get a grip of the characters. However, a few months later, and because I was on holiday without wi-fi, I decided to try again. How glad I am that I persevered. In the end I just couldn't stop listening. My I-pod went everywhere and my husband got a little irate at trying to talk to me with my headphones in. I was kept guessing until the end and can't wait to start listening to Book 2.

I do agree however with a previous reviewer about the lack of characterisation of the narrator, particularly the women's voices. I do appreciate that it's always difficult for a man to speak a woman's voice and vice versa, but other narrator's manage it and I think that this was one of the reasons I had initial difficulty sticking to the story in the first instance.

This is a minor niggle however for a great story well written and generally well read.

5 of 5 people found this review helpful

Lynn

Fordingbridge, United Kingdom

11/9/13

Overall

Performance

Story

"Disappointing story uninspiring narration"

I tried to listen to this story several times but eventually gave upThe story didn't grip my attention and the narration was very flat the characters just didn't come to life

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Carol

Ashhurst, New Zealand

7/29/14

Overall

Performance

Story

"Holds your attention"

Who might you have cast as narrator instead of Jonathan Broadbent?

Possibly Sean Barrett or Robert Glenister, although their voices might be too mature for the part of Gary Goodhew.

Any additional comments?

I enjoyed listening to this book but while the narrator is competent, he is not outstanding. His characterisation is virtually non-existent, and at times I had to go back, or think hard, to figure out who was speaking in a conversation. It made the story a little difficult to follow at times, and made the characters a little bland. Still a good listen though.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Peter

Bourne, Lincs, United Kingdom

12/2/13

Overall

Performance

Story

"Not up to morse standards"

Has Cambridge Blue put you off other books in this genre?

I will not be getting any more by this author.

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

The performance was good.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

I was disappointed in this book. The story didn't flow well. It is trying to be a Cambridge Morse but unfortunately is not up to the same standards.I will not be getting any more in the series.It was well read.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Patricia

scunthorpe, United Kingdom

8/18/13

Overall

Performance

Story

"Good first attempt"

I read this with the fact that this is the first in the series by Alison Bruce and may well be her first book in mind I think she keeps pasting in Cambridge into the scene and it is laboured and not relevant to the story line. Indeed Cambridge features less and less as the book progresses.

I think it is obvious that this is a book produced early in an authors career as she overworks similies and tells the reader rather than showing. Ms Bruce would do well to read - oops sorry - listen to Chris Brookmyres latest novel where he leaves huge chunks for the reader to infill rather than over-burdening them with huge amounts of detail.

4 of 5 people found this review helpful

Miss

Coleraine, United Kingdom

8/6/13

Overall

Performance

Story

"So so story, poor narration"

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

No. I found it very run of the mill & found it hard to empathise with any of the characters. The narrator used the same voice for each character, making it difficult to keep track of who was speaking. I gave up after the first half of the story, which I rarely do.

Would you be willing to try another one of Jonathan Broadbent’s performances?

No.

Could you see Cambridge Blue being made into a movie or a TV series? Who would the stars be?

No. Too run of the mill.

3 of 4 people found this review helpful

Mrs

Whitland, United Kingdom

8/11/13

Overall

Performance

Story

"Disappointing"

Would you try another book written by Alison Bruce or narrated by Jonathan Broadbent?

I would not read another Alison Bruce book - I found her work far too wordy, the story lacked pace and there was little tension. Whilst appreciating this is fiction I found that it was far too beyond belief in the way the police were portrayed. Characters were too shallow. At times I felt I was in the middle of a piece of contrived 'easy summer reading'.

What will your next listen be?

Something grittier - maybe a David Hewson if I can find one I haven't heard - or try a different Scandinavian crime writer.

Would you be willing to try another one of Jonathan Broadbent’s performances?

Yes.

What character would you cut from Cambridge Blue?

Difficult to say - none was memorable enough or even induced enough of a dislike to get rid of anyone, all rather boring!

3 of 5 people found this review helpful

A User

4/27/16

Overall

Performance

Story

"Something quirky and unexpected..."

I bought this title in a rush and for 15 minutes regretted it. Then....If not a wholly original premise the photos well constructed with few obvious plot holes. Importantly the focal character is interesting and well rounded and there were no glaring plot devices to (yes, some but doesn't there have to be) to lead him to the resolution.Now, the narrator. Initially it felt like I was listening to a first year RADA project but I am glad I persevered. He has a young voice but managed to characterise competently and after a chapter or two he became irrelevant to the story. Sounds like faint praise but that should be the aim of all readers in my view. I have romped on to#2 in the series!

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Janrow

5/8/15

Overall

Performance

Story

"Not good"

What disappointed you about Cambridge Blue?

The story teller was not greatI only got to chapter 4 i found it unexciting

Would you ever listen to anything by Alison Bruce again?

I may do

How could the performance have been better?

yes absolutely

1 of 2 people found this review helpful

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